Gauge for indicating the volume of flow of gases



April 13, 1937. J. A. HEIDBRINK 2,075,552

GAUGE FOR INDICATING THE vLUME oF FLow 0F GASES Filed July 5. 19:55

' Patented Apr. i3, 193? STATES agritur dosi-*igea GAUGE FR NDHCATENGTHE VOLUME F FLOl/V @F GASES 'i Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in gauges for indicating the volumeof iiow of gases, and has for its principal purpose to provide a flowtube and an indicating tube associated therewith,

the flow tube having connection with gas-delivering means and embodyingan indicator member adapted to operate in the indicating tube, and

means in the flow tube rigidly connected with the indicating member andsubject to the gases moving through the flow tube to move the indicatingmember lin a manner proportionate tothe gases flowing through the iiowtube, said indicating member and its attached operating means being 1mounted for movements lineally with substantially negligible frictioncontacts, whether the organization is held in a vertical position, vorfor convenience in reading in an angular position.

It is an object ef the invention to Support the' 90 piston and theindicating member in such manner that no part of either will contact thewalls of either the ow tube or the gauge tube associated therewith, thuseliminating friction in the movement of .the piston and attachedindicating O5 member and wear which might change the character of theflow opening about and past said piston in the iiow tube.

It is a further object of the invention to form a bore extendinglineally through the piston and 30 the attached indicating member havinglimited.

bearing points at or adjacent the piston and the end of the indicatingmember most removed therefrom, said piston and indicating member beingstrung upon a supporting iine wire held so as 35 to form a linear guideextending centrally along the interior of the :dow tube and of 'thegauge tube connected therewith, and to mount said guide wire so that itwill be held rigidly under spring tension in its aforesaid centralposition, and so that the 40 tension thereon may be increased from timeto time to insure a rigid straightdine guide for the piston and attachedindicating member.

It is a further object of my invention to provide printed scalespreferably colored to accord D`with the gases being used, and to mountthem inta novel manner adjacent the gauge tube to maire readingstherefrom on the indicating member particularly simple and effective. )0This application is in part an improvement of my application SerialNumber 694,818, led October 23, 1933.

The full objects and advantages or my invention will appear inconnection with the detailed 55 description thereof, and the novelfeatures of the (Cl. 'i3-209) invention are particularly pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawing, illustrating an application of my invention in one formof gauge for indicating ilow of gases, 5

Fig. 1 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the i-ow tube andgauge construction. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken at rightangles to the showing of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken online 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view of 1G the wire-tightening memberdetached from the assemblage. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

As illustrated, a, ow tube It has interior walls II everywhere circularin'cross-section but u increasing in diameter from the lower endthereof. Preferably the assemblage will provide other wall portions I2and I3 of the interior of the flow tube which will be circular in allcross-sections but will have increasing diameters at a progressivelymore rapid rate. That is, the walls il diverge in a relatively smalldegree, the-walls I2 diverge in a larger degree than the walls i i andthe Walls I3 diverge in a still larger degree than the walls I2.

Gas or a mixture of gases is admitted to theinterior of the iiow tubethrough a tube connection It and through ports at the inlet end of theow tube, which will be hereinafter described, and leaves through a portI5 at the other end ci the ow tube which connects with tubing le passingto any suitable distributing or inhaling device.

Upon the lower end of flow tube i@ is threaded a nut 20 which is adaptedto engage and hold a packing washer 22 against the lower end of iiowtube Iii, and which also holds a nipple member 2e to which the tube I issecured in a customary manner. An aperture 25 leads through the end ofnipple memberi to a chamber 2li` therein. As clearly shown in Fig. 2,the end of ilow tube I0 is interiorly recessed as indicated at 2l toform an annular ledge 2l against which and within the recessZI is seatedand centered a disc 28 for a purpose hereinafter described.` Dependinginto the chamber 25 from the disc 28 is a cylindrical cup 29 which formsa housing for a cylindrical slide 30. In the slide 3@ is acompressionspring 3i. The slide 30 is provided with an annular iiange 32 for apurpose hereinafter to be specified. The cylindrical cup 2S is of less50 diameter than that of the chamber 26, leaving an annular passageway33 about the same. With this passageway is connected a .multiplicity ofports 34, clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5, which admit the gas from thechamber 2t to the in- 55 terior of the iiow tube I in a balanced annularmanner about the lower end of said interior and said openings 34 aredisposed at such an angle as to direct the gas toward the axial line ofthe 5 flow tube.

Adapted to rest by gravity upon the discA 28 is a piston member 35preferably formed with an upturned iiang 36. The outer diameter of thepiston member is almost equal but very slightly less than the lowerdiameter of the portion I I of the iiow tube, and receives directlybeneath it the inflow of gas through the ports 34, which as shown aredirected toward the axial center of the iiow tube Ill, thus providingeffective impingel5 ment with the lower wall of the piston4 35. lThispiston when in zero position rests upon the upper surface of theinverted cup member 29 and prevents any backward flow of gas. The piston35 is provided with a nipple or shank 31 to which is secured anindicating member. 38 extending along the axis of the iiow tube |9. Theindicating member 38 preferably is made of light hollow metallic tubingso as to be light in weight and have the least possible response tochanges in temperature. The indicating member 38 is adapted to operatelineally in the bore 39 of a transparent gauge tube 4l) which extendsaxially from the end of the iiow tube l0, as clearly shown in Figs. 1and 2. As shown in these figures, a casting support 4| is providedforming a chamber 42. The flow tube lilis secured by threading, or inany desired manner, to the support 4|,.and the chamber 42 com rises anextension of the passageway on the inside of the ,35 flow tube l0. Fromthe chamber 42 there leads a port 43 through an extension 44 to whichthe outlet tube |6 is connected. The support 4| also has an uprightportion 45 embodying wing members 46 and 41 and a recessed portion 48having its interior cross-section semicircular. Upon the surface of thewings 46, 41 and of the half cylinder 48 is secured a strip of paper 49or layer of paint or other desirable: covering to give a white orsuitable background as shown in Fig. 6

'visible through the transparent gauge tube 40. Upon the wing portions46 and 41 are laid gauge scales 50 and 5|, one calibrated to show litersper minute and the other gallons per hour. These gauge strips are heldin position by overlying 50 transparent plates 52 and 53 held by clamps54 and secured by screws 56 extending into the wing members- 46 and 41,all as clearly shown in Fig. 6. In this manner, as shown in Fig. 1, thegauge scales, which may be printed in any de- 55 sirable manner and withsuitable coloring on cardboard or the like, appear in'close proximity tothe transparent gauge tube, in such manner that readings from the end ofthe-gauge indicator 38 may be made with ease and accuracy.

To hold the piston 35 and the gauge indicator 38 from contacting withthev inner walls of the flow tube I0 or of the transparent gauge tube40, I provide a wire 51, preferably a fine wire formed of some hard,highly polished material such as chrome steel or hardened Monel metal.The piston 35 is provided with a central aperture 58, Fig. 2, throughwhich the wire 51 extends, and the upper end of the indicating tube 38is iitted with a plug or closure member 59 provided with an alinedaperture 60 so that the wire 51 forms a continuous guide4 along theaxial centers of the `flow tube I0 and thev gauge tube 40. The lower endof the wire 51 extends through the coil spring 75 Stand is secured abouta retainer piece 6|, as

indicated at 62 in Fig. 2. The retainer piece 6| ts within thecylindrical slide member 30 against the annular flange 32 hereinbeforedescribed, which slide will be held spaced from the disc 28 by the coilspring 3| as indicated at 63. The 5 manner of holding the wire 51 uponthe other end of the device, and of tensioning the same, is clearlyshown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. A ring member 64 on the casting upright 45has threaded therein a packing nut 65 which engages a packl0 ing washer66 on the top of the gauge tube 40. The washer 66 in turn engages withits inner edges a packing plug 61 of rubber or other suitable materialwhich will tightly clasp the wire 51 and in conjunction with thepacking, washer 66 will l5 effectively seal the end of the transparentgauge tube 40. The wire 51 passes through a bore 68 -in the lower wallof the packing nut 65, which is in axial alinement with the opening 58in the piston 35 and the opening 60 in the plug 59. The 2.0 wire iswrapped around a tightening piece 69, being passed through a slot 10therein, best shown in Fig. 4. The piece 69 is seated in a transversebore indicated at 1|, 12 of Fig. 3, the wire extending down through achambered por- 25 tion 14 to the bore 68. The bore 1| extends throughthe side wall of the packing` nut 65 as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. Aclamp nut 15 is adapted to engage flats 16 on the tightening piece 69and hold it in any desired clamped position. 39 With a screw driver inthe slot 10 of the'piece 69 the same may be turned and the wire 51 becaused to. be wound around it as indicated at 11 4of Fig. 3. In this waythe wire is pulled tight against the compression of-spring 3| in theslide 36, and 3 when a suicient degree of tightness is attained toprovide a straight lineal guide for the piston 35 and gauge indicator 38the clamp nut 15 is turned down so as to hold the piece 69 and the wireconnected therewith in such desired posi- 404 tion The force of thespring 3| will at all times hold the wire taut regardless of changes oftem-- perature which may occur. A cap 1 6 lis threaded upon the packingnut 65 to make a proper closure of the construction. vIf desired anextension or 45 extensions 19 may be formed integrally with the f-standard 45 for use in securing the construction in desired position.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent from the foregoingdescription. First, 50 and of primary importance, is the fact that thepiston in the flow tube andthe elongated indicating member rigidlyconnected therewith are held truly alined to move along the axes of theflow tube and the indicating tube, always cen- 55 tered in each of themso that no part of either' piston (except at the instant it begins tomove) or-of the indicating member, will ever contact any portion of thewalls of the flow tube or of the indicating tube, regardless of whethersaid 60 tubes are held vertical, or, for convenience in reading, may beheld at an angle. This highly desirable result is produced by reason ofthe engagement of the small-area bores 58 and 60 with the polishedhard-surfaced, wall of the wire 51 65 in suchwise that all friction fromcontact is negligible. Further because of the spring tensioning of thewire 51 it will always remain extended along the axes of the ow tube andthe indicating tube regardlessof changes in temperature. 70 A secondhighly important advantage of the construction is the arrangement of thetransparent gauge tube in reference to the scales and the manner inwhich such scales, conveniently printed and colored as desired, are heldclamped in '155' close juxtaposition to the ow tube so that the squaredend of the indicating member always conveniently will indicate on saidscales or either of them a desired reading.

I claim:

1. A flow indicator comprising a ilow tube having conical divergingwalls and a gauge tube held in axial alinement with the flow tube andopening thereinto, a piston of substantially the smallest diameter ofsaid walls movable in the flow tube, an elongated indicating memberrigidly secured to the piston and adapted to extendl into the gaugetube, a wire extending through the piston and indicating member andalong the axes of the ow tube and the gauge tube to hold and guide thepiston and indicating, member, a spring connected with the wire, andmeans for winding-the .wire to put tension on the spring. 2. A owindicator comprising a iiow tube having conical diverging walls and agauge tube held in axial alinement with the flow tube and openingthereinto, a piston of substantially the smallest diameter of said wallsmovable in the ow tube, an elongated indicating member rigidly securedto the piston and adapted to extend into the gauge tube, a wireextending through the piston and indicating member and along .the axesof the ow tube and the gauge tube to hold and guide the piston andindicating member, a spring having connection with one end of the wire,a rotatable tensioning member having connection with the other end ,ofthe wire and adapted to compress the spring to hold the wire taut andstraight, and means for locking the tensioning member in desiredposition.

3; A iiow indicator comprising a ow tube having conical diverging walls,a transparent gaugeV tube held in axial alinement with said ilow tubeand opening thereinto, aninverted cup-shaped member secured to the lowerend of said flow tube and having openings forpassage o1 gas into thelatter, a cylindrical slidehoused in said cupshaped member, a coiledspring in said Aslide tending to hold said slide resiliently downward insaid cup-shaped member, -a wire anchored to the lower end of said slideand extending along the axes of s'aid flow tube and gauge tube, securingmeans for the upper end of said wire at the top of said gauge tube, apiston movable in said ow tube and when in zerol position resting uponsaid cup-shaped member,

member to constitute a guide therefor.

4. A iiow indicator comprising a flow tube having conical divergingwalls, a transparent gauge tube held inY axial alinement with said flowtube and an elongated indieating member rigidly secured to `said pistonand adapted to move up into said gauge tube, said wire extending throughsaid piston and indicating and opening'thereinto, an inverted cup-shapedl member secured to the lower end of said iow tube, the upper wall ofsaid cup-shaped member containing openings for passage of gas directedtoward the axial line of said ow tube, a wire anchored at the lower endof said cup-shaped member and extending along the axes of said iiow tubeand gauge tube, securing means for the upper end of said wire at the topof said gauge tube, a piston movable in said ow tube and when in zeroposition resting upon said cup-shaped member, and an elongatedindicating member, and adapted to move up into said gaugetube, said wireextending through said piston and indicating member to constitute aguide therefor.

JAY A. HEIDBRINK.

